Canadians identify accessibility for people with disabilities as top
priority for new public buildings
New survey reveals Canadians believe it is worthwhile to incentivize the construction industry to do
better
December 2, 2016 – Canadians identify accessibility for people with disabilities as a top priority for new
public buildings, with nearly 9-in-10 Canadians saying a LEED-style program to rate building accessibility
would be ‘worthwhile’, according to a new national survey that highlights the problems facing people
with disabilities today.
Released in advance of the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December
3, the survey shows respondents strongly agree that accessibility is a basic human right and not a
privilege, but indicates that communities have a long way to go to reach the ideal level of access for all.
Canadians see a large gap between how accessible private buildings currently are and how accessible
they ought to be. The public also views one of the biggest obstacles to making accessibility a reality as
the cost and difficulty of either designing fully accessible new buildings, or renovating those that aren’t.
This data, gathered from a randomized sample of 1,330 Canadians, is part of a national public opinion
poll canvassing disability and accessibility conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, in partnership with the
Rick Hansen Foundation.
Key findings of the survey include:
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95% of Canadians surveyed said that it would be very/moderately important that a new public
building being constructed in their community be accessible to people with disabilities
46% (almost half) of Canadians surveyed view the difficulty of renovating older buildings, as well
as cost( 35%) as the two biggest obstacles to addressing the accessibility gap
86% (almost nine-in-ten) of survey respondents say a LEED type program aimed at incentivizing
more accessible design would be worthwhile
92% of Canadians agree that accessibility for people with physical disabilities is a basic human
right, not a privilege
Half of Canadians agree with the statement “it’s understandable that employers feel it is risky to
hire people with physical disabilities.” Among those currently responsible for hiring decisions,
45% cite expense of making a workplace accessible as one of the main reasons employers might
have this opinion.
Read the full report in English and in French. An accessible Word version of the report is available upon
request.
Quotes:
“The theme of this year’s UN’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities is ‘Achieving 17 Goals of the
Future’, and our goal at the Rick Hansen Foundation is to ensure all the places we live, work and play are
accessible for people with disabilities,” says Rick Hansen, CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation. “This
report shows that the built environment is one of the biggest barriers to addressing the accessibility gap.
By ensuring universal access is a priority for all Canadians, we can create an inclusive world where
people with disabilities are living to their full potential, and as a result the entire community and
economy will benefit.”
“A further, massive gap identified by Canadians speaks to a lack of understanding and belief in the
potential of people with disabilities. This Angus Reid Institute study reveals some myths associated with
the underemployment of disabled people, and measures potential solutions aimed at ending
employment discrimination against these individuals,” says Shachi Kurl, Executive Director, Angus Reid
Institute.
About the Rick Hansen Foundation:
The Rick Hansen Foundation was established in 1988, following the completion of Rick Hansen’s Man In
Motion World Tour, to continue raising funds and awareness to create a world without barriers for
people with disabilities. Over nearly 30 years, RHF has worked diligently to achieve real change through
collaboration, partnerships and teamwork, inspired by Rick Hansen's original dream to liberate the
amazing potential of people with disabilities. RHF breaks down barriers by changing attitudes, creating
accessible spaces and inspiring an inclusive world.
About the Angus Reid Institute:
The Angus Reid Institute was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a
national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research organization established to advance
education by commissioning, conducting and disseminating to the public accessible and impartial
statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public
administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to
Canada and its world.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dawn Tse
Publicist, Rick Hansen Foundation
778-229-7532
[email protected]
Shachi Kurl
Executive Director, Angus Reid Institute
604-908-1693
[email protected]